“Ben X” tells the story of a mildly autistic teen whose withdrawn school life contrasts sharply with his warrior persona in on-line fantasy world of MMORPGs games. Due to the neverending pressure from two school bullies, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur causing a melding of the two worlds. The film’s title is a reference to the leetspeak version of the Dutch phrase “(ik) ben niets”, meaning “(I) am nothing”.
“Ben X” is based on the novel “Nothing Is All He Said” written by Nic Balthazar, who also directed the film.
The film has ended up being a major contender in the bid or an Oscar in the foreign language category at the 2008 Academy Awards.
Shot in Belgium by Flemish director Nic Balthazar, “Ben X” takes on an America feel. Balthazar spent quite awhile finding the the right kind of cast that wouldn’t make his film not look like just another remake of a novel.
The writer/director found the perfect Ben in young upcoming actor Greg Timmermans. This was Timmermans first film. The movie co-stars Laura Verlinden (“Laatste zomer, De”) and Marijke Pinoy (“Of Cats & Women,” “Small Gods”).
“Ben X” surprisingly didn’t get a USA release, but now Balthazar is hoping to do an American version of the film and if it wins the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, it will probably happen sooner rather than later. No word yet if he plans on using Timmermans as the lead in the American version. That doesn’t seem likely though as he was recently overheard stating he was looking for the next young American Leonardo DiCaprio to play the part.
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